


Keep me close

by All_for_the_andreil



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Andrew collects strays because he’s soft, Andrew misses Neil, Angst with a Happy Ending, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, POV Andrew Minyard, Soft Boys, andrew loves neil so much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:40:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25383961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_for_the_andreil/pseuds/All_for_the_andreil
Summary: Andrew sees Neil for the first time since he graduated and moved out of dorms and Neil is kind of a mess
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 8
Kudos: 378





	Keep me close

Andrew keeps pacing the lounge of the airport back and forth. Neil’s flight is landing any minute now and although Andrew wouldn’t admit it to anyone – himself included – he is bit nervous.

He and Neil haven’t seen each other for more than three weeks, which – compared to the fact they’ve been sharing space for four years and seeing each other every day – was a fucking long time for Andrew and he was sure for Neil as well.

They didn’t plan to go for so long without visiting, but the beginning of the season has been brutal and Andrew barely had time to call Neil to talk for a while. And even the phone calls, though they tried to make them as frequent as possible, were unsatisfactory. Andrew always seemed tired and Neil always seemed to be in gloom sort of mood, so neither of them talked much.

Andrew missed Neil. He missed him so much it made him physically sick. He didn’t tell Neil that of course, it wouldn’t make a difference if he did, only made it more obvious how stupid this whole long distance between them was. Andrew was trying to prepare himself for this, for being alone, but no matter what precautious he took (spoiler: it wasn’t _that_ many), it didn’t actually prepare him for shit. It didn’t prevent him from waking up in the middle of the night, clutching the blanket to his body, hoping that when he opens his eyes he’ll see familiar auburn hair next to him. It didn’t prevent him from having a love-hate relationship with his phone, because he always wanted to speak to Neil but when he actually did, it only made him miss him more and he was left speechless.

So yeah, it’s natural Andrew was nervous about seeing him in person again. They had the entire weekend for themselves. No plans, no interruptions, just the two of them in Andrew’s too small apartment. Well, the two of them and Andrew’s cat.

The cat was an accident. Andrew was driving home from practice when it ran across the road and he almost crushed the car to avoid hitting it. He pulled over and as soon as he opened the door, the cat jumped inside and settled on the passenger seat. Andrew wasn’t into taking strays – Neil was an only exception – but when he was looking at the cat, its orange fur, the scar running across one of its big blue eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to kick it out on the street again. So he has a cat now. He made Nicky name it (which was a terrible decision in retrospect, Sir Fat Cat McCatterson is _not_ a suitable name for any living creature and definitely not for the cat that is anything but fat), but it made Neil laugh when Andrew told him, truly laugh, so the name stuck. Andrew knew very well he was the one to blame. Maybe Neil was right and he _was_ getting soft.

All of Andrew’s anxious thoughts vanish from his mind when he sees Neil entering the lounge. Andrew tries to maintain his usual blank expression, but he can’t stop himself from walking towards Neil instead of just waiting for him to get to him.

As soon as Neil spots him, he smiles widely, a rare smile, reserved only for Andrew, and Andrew’s chest suddenly feels too tight.

Neil basically runs to meet him. He discards his duffel bag in the process, which is something Andrew never thought he’d witness, and when Andrew opens his arms for him, he flings himself onto Andrew.

Andrew exhales. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath. He wraps his arms around Neil, for once not caring about all the people around, and he’s hit with the smell of Neil’s shampoo and it smells like _home_ and Andrew can’t imagine ever letting go of him. He didn’t have much physical contact with anyone for the past weeks and he was wondering whether it’d feel different to be with Neil again, but it doesn’t.

“Hi,” Neil breathes into the crook of Andrew’s neck, where he’s buried his face.

“Hey,” Andrew answers. His voice sounds strangely normal compared to his ragged state of mind. “Let’s get out of here.”

They pull away from each other, very unwillingly though, and Andrew takes Neil’s bag in one hand and Neil’s hand in the other. Neil grins. Andrew rolls his eyes at him and leads him to the car.

“How was the flight?” Andrew asks when they get on the road.

Neil’s fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie – he claimed half of Andrew’s clothes and by now Andrew has no idea to whom the hoodie belonged in the first place. “Fine.”

Andrew glances at him. Now that the first euphoria worn off a bit, he can see Neil doesn’t look that well. His face is pale, making the scars on his cheeks more prominent, and he seems thinner, his cheeks hollower, even his wrist and fingers, which were always rather delicate, more petite. Andrew doesn’t know whether he should ask. Maybe he’s seeing things. Maybe Neil was always like this. His eidetic memory disagrees, but he pushes that aside for now.

The ride to Andrew’s apartment is quiet, but it’s comfortable silence. Neil is finally there. He is finally with Andrew again. That’s currently the only thing Andrew cares about.

When they get home, Sir is napping on the couch, oblivious to Neil or Andrew. Andrew shakes his head at the cat as he makes his way to the coffee machine.

“Dinner?” He prompts.

Neil follows him to the kitchen, looking around with interest. “Okay.”

Andrew gazes at him, momentarily forgetting about the coffee. “Should I cook something or do you want takeout?”

Neil shrugs. “I don’t mind either way.”

Andrew narrows his eyes at him. His voice is strangely flat. There are dark circles under his eyes Andrew didn’t notice before. “Neil, are you okay?” He asks suspiciously.

Neil smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Of course.”

Andrew isn’t fooled. “You look tired,” he mentions, phrasing his words carefully. Neil doesn’t look tired, he looks _exhausted_.

“I haven’t been sleeping too well,” Neil admits slowly.

Andrew sighs. He hasn’t been sleeping great himself either. “Come on,” he announces and leads Neil from the kitchen. “You’re going to shower, then you’re going to eat and then you’re off to bed.”

Neil gives him a loopy smile, but it’s genuine this time. “Okay.”

Andrew shows Neil the bathroom and just before he turns to leave, Neil tugs at his sleeve and asks: “Yes or no?”

God, Andrew was beginning to worry he’d never ask. “Yes,” he answers and pulls Neil in for a kiss.

It’s been so long, too long, since they kissed for the last time and Andrew definitely wants to do way more than just kissing, but for now he’s completely satisfied with this – Neil flushed against him, his pretty lips on Andrew’s, holding lightly onto Andrew’s shoulders while Andrew rests his hands on Neil’s waist. It’s soft, which Andrew hardly ever allows, but it seems adequate now. He savors the moment, taking his time before pulling away. Just few inches, they still breathe the same air. Neil’s eyes are closed and he’s smiling slightly.

Fuck, Andrew missed him so much.

“Shower. I’ll take care of the dinner,” he says and forces himself to take a step away from Neil.

While Neil’s showering, Andrew cooks the food, some vegetable with wild rice, nothing too heavy for the night and by the time Neil emerges from the bathroom, Andrew has a plate ready for him. They sit on the couch in the living room – Sir doesn’t even stir.

“Have you been eating enough?” Andrew asks casually.

Neil looks up from his plate and makes a sour face. “Uh, you’re starting to sound like Kevin.”

Andrew glowers at him. “You take that back.”

Neil grins. “Don’t lecture me about healthy diet then.”

“All I asked was if you’re eating _enough_. You lost weight.”

“I didn’t.”

Andrew gives him a meaningful look.

Neil rolls his eyes, focusing on his plate. “I’m fine.” He cringes at the words as soon as they leave his mouth. “Sorry,” he apologizes immediately when Andrew throws him a hard look. “I’m alright,” he assures him again.

Andrew knows something is wrong, but he can’t figure out what is it. He knows that if it was something important, Neil’d tell him, but it still makes him uneasy. Neil doesn’t keep secrets from him anymore. Or does he?

Whatever it is, Andrew decides it can wait till the morning.

After the dinner, Andrew whisks Neil to the bedroom. He takes a quick shower and when he joins him, Neil’s already sleepy, curling to Andrew like a kitten. Andrew doesn’t have the energy to mind. He brings Neil closer, wrapping his arms around him and Neil sighs in content, practically melting in Andrew’s arms. He falls asleep before Andrew can say goodnight.

It’s not so late and Andrew doesn’t feel too tired just yet, but he has no intentions to leave Neil. He idly strokes his messy auburn curls, simply enjoying his presence. He hates to think that he’ll have to give this up again after few days.

Andrew wakes up late. At some point in the night, Sir decided to finally pay them a visit and now she’s sleeping soundlessly on Neil’s pillow. Not that Neil minds, since he decided that Andrew’s shoulder sounds much more comfortable than a pillow. Andrew chuckles at the sight of the two of them.

“Morning,” Neil mumbles sleepily and buries his face more into the soft material of Andrew’s T-shirt (the truth is the T-shirt is Neil’s and Andrew likes to sleep in it, because it still smells like Neil).

Andrew hums in acknowledgement. “Slept well?”

Neil smiles lazily and presses a kiss onto Andrew’s collarbone. It takes a lot of self control for Andrew not to move a muscle at that. “Yeah. You?”

Andrew doesn’t want to admit he hasn’t slept this well since he moved in here. “Hm.”

Neil’s smug smile indicates he knows very well what’s Andrew thinking. “Drew? Yes or no?”

Andrew rolls his eyes. Over the time they’ve been together they slowly switched to nonverbal questions, using ‘yes or no’ only on bad days, but Andrew supposes Neil asks mostly because they haven’t been together for so long. “Yes.”

And then Neil’s lips are on his and Andrew can’t think about anything else. They make out lazily, not rushing anywhere. They know they have enough time.

Their kissing session is interrupted when Sir wakes up and decides to join in by licking Neil’s face and Neil laughs so much he has to pull away from Andrew.

“Well, hello to you too,” he says, grinning, and scratches Sir’s head.

Andrew watches their interaction with amusement hidden behind his unreadable expression. Sir seems to like Neil. Not as much as she likes Andrew, but surprisingly lot considering the fact it’s the first time she’s meeting him.

Andrew studies Neil. Although he’s smiling, there’s still slight tension in his shoulders and almost distant look in his eyes from time to time, as if he was thinking about something else.

“Neil?”

Neil glances up from Sir. “Yes?”

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”

Neil smiles, but it looks forced. “What makes you think anything’s wrong?” He asks lightly.

Andrew gives him a flat look.

Neil sighs, his happy face crumbling a bit. “Fine. It’s nothing, really. Just…” another sigh, “it’s stupid.”

Andrew doesn’t take his eyes of Neil. “Everything about you is stupid, yet here I am still.”

Neil smirks. “Maybe you should think of a replacement.”

Andrew isn’t amused by that. “Too much work.”

“Is it?” Neil asks jokingly.

Andrew rolls his eyes. “You are avoiding the question, Neil, and this tactic is not going to work on me.”

Neil bites his lower lip. Andrew stares at him, momentarily distracted. “I missed you,” Neil says finally.

Andrew expected anything from potential breakup to secret mafia business, but not this. He raises an eyebrow, half in surprise, half in question. “Oh?”

Neil avoids his eyes. “It’s just so hard without you there. The freshmen are fucking terrible and well, the sophomores aren’t much better either and they all hate me and you are so _far_ and…” he shakes his head, “it’s a lot to handle. And I didn’t want to say anything, because you seem fine and I didn’t want to trouble you. It’s not that important anyway…”

Andrew’s face softens. “Hey,” he says and cups Neil’s cheek in his palm. “It _is_ important, okay? You are important.”

Neil smiles weakly.

“I know it’s been hard and long, but it’s gonna get better. You’ll get used to it. And whenever there’s something wrong, you can just call me. I don’t give a fuck if it’s in the middle of the night, just use your damn phone, Josten.”

Neil nods mindlessly.

“And we’re going to see each other more often,” Andrew continues. “Three weeks are too fucking long.”

“Yeah,” Neil agrees softly.

“I missed you too,” Andrew admits at last and Neil’s eyes widen at that. Before he can comment on that, Andrew kisses him again.

“Drew?” Neil breathes when they pull away. He’s so close Andrew can see the barely visible freckles on his cheeks. “I lov-” Neil begins but as soon as Andrew realizes what he’s about to say, he closes the small distance between them, effectively shutting Neil up with another kiss.

“I know,” Andrew assures him. And after a heartbeat he adds: “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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